Aaron Finch finds form but Australia lose T20 World Cup warm-up to India

Australia and India finished off their T20 World Cup preparations in a warm-up match at an empty Gabba ground in Brisbane, won by India by six runs in a contest that lacked much intensity until the frantic final stages. Australia looked set to win when Aaron Finch was chasing India’s 186-7, needing 16 runs required from 12 balls. But the captain’s dismissal for 76 presaged a passage of play that saw Australian wickets fall from each of the final four balls of the match, Australia finishing all out for 180.

The World Cup hosts won the toss and chose to bowl, picking Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins but leaving out Josh Hazlewood from the pace trio that will be first choice through the tournament proper. That gave Kane Richardson a final chance to press his case, using his changes of pace and length to finish with an innings-high 4-30. Ashton Agar played as the main spinner instead of Adam Zampa, but fared less impressively with 1-36.

With no crowd to buoy the occasion, players moved diffidently, spoke quietly, and bowlers delivered a slew of wides while attempting variations. India’s opener KL Rahul was one of the few at full throttle, immediately taking on all three frontline fast bowlers before a 20-run over from Marcus Stoinis. Especially severe on anything short enough to pull, Rahul raised a half century from 27 balls while his opening partner Rohit Sharma had one run from five.

When Rohit joined the party with a couple of big blows, India had 75 from the first seven overs and could have blazed well past 200. But the introduction of spin slowed the charge, with Glenn Maxwell having Rahul caught by Ashton Agar at deep midwicket for 57, before Maxwell returned the favour to give Agar the wicket of Rohit for 15.

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